Saturday, August 23, 2008

It's that time again. Top 10 time! This time it's platformers, and this one was a toughie. Did Super Mario Bros 3 come out on top, like usual. Or did something else come up and swipe the top spot away? Remember the rules, one game per franchise, and only games that we've played.

10. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA)Filling up the number 10 spot on our list is Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance for the GBA. This was the follow up to 2001's Circle of the Moon. Following the Symphony of the Night style style gameplay, HoD is truly a modern day iteration of SotN in portable form. Yes, that's good! It's top ten good, might I add. The sweet spells, varied monsters, and rpg elements make for a truly addictive and overall fun game, very deserving of our 10th spot.- Nick

9. Sonic and Knuckles (Genesis)Now a days, nearly every Sonic game is a failure. Well, that was not the case in the earlier years of Sonic. While all of the original Sonic games were fun, Sonic and Knuckles was the funnest of all. The difference with this game, compared to the others, as the choice of playing as Sonic, Sonic and Tails, or Knuckles. The thing that made Sonic and Knuckles such a fun game, was how they mixed the classic Sonic game play, with the abilities of Knuckles. It was also cool because of your choice of good (Sonic) or evil (Knuckles). It was a nice twist, that you didn't see to much in games back then. Overall, we decided that Sonic and Knuckles deserved our nine spot.- Wade

8. Disney's Magical Quest Starring Mickey & Minnie (SNES)Nope, were not kidding, number eight on our list is a game that stars Micky Mouse as its main character (Square Enix did it, why can't Capcom?). I'm not sure why this game is so much fun, but I could just play it over and over again. The thing that I find the funnest is the boss battles. Although most are simple, some are actually pretty challenging and involve some fun game play ideas. Another thing that made this game fun was how Micky could change into a magician (which shoots magic), a fireman (who holds a hose that squirts water), and, what I think, looks like a Robin Hood costume (which uses a grappling hook to latch onto certain objects). While the idea might sound kiddy to most of you, it truly was a fun game. One way or another, The Magical Quest wound up in our number 8 spot for the best platformers of all time.- Wade

7. Donkey Kong 2: Diddy Kongs Quest (SNES)Why did we choose Donkey Kong 2, over the original? There are some things that are just better in the second one, in our opinion. Diddy Kongs Quest was fun, because of the new addition of Diddy Kongs girlfriend: Dixie Kong (possibly related? Who knows). Her ability to glide across open area's presented the game with some new, more challenging, obstacles to overcome. An old feature that Donkey Kong 2 includes, is the ability to ride animals. This was a feature that made, not only Donkey Kong 2, but the entire series shine. All in all, Donkey Kong 2: Diddy Kongs Quest weighed in at the number seven spot.- Wade

6. Kirby Superstar (SNES)Kirby has been known for sucking, but the same doesn't hold true for his games! ...Yeah I know, I'm sorry... But seriously, Kirby games have always been a prime example of how platforming could be something besides... Mario, and all the awesome and varied options available to the player, and multiplayer mini-games in Superstar always made it stand out among the rest to me. The insanely fun abilities combined with basic platforming ideas and pink marshmallow cuteness come together to make our number 6.- Nick

5. Conker's: Bad Fur Day (N64)Everyone loves Mario 64. Rare knew that and followed suit with Banjo Kazooie, their own attempt at the Mario 64 type gameplay. Both were awesome games, and I cant imagine what the games of today would be like without their influence. But they where a little... kidsy. Rare, after making these child friendly plat formers must have gotten pretty sick of all the cutesy crap. Thus Conker was born. Conker can best be described as Banjo Kazooie with sex, drugs, and cussing. In other words, it was beyond awesome. The hilarious story actually made me laugh out loud quite a few times. The writing is just genius at points, the graphics are completely beautiful, top of the line for the N64, and the gameplay was just as fun and diverse as the Banjos before it. Hell, even the multiplayer is a complete blast. Pure split-screen goodness. Conker deserves every bit of praise it gets, and if anything I would place it higher on the list. But sometimes you have to make tough choices, even if it involves putting the game with singing poo monsters at #5.- Nick

4. Mega Man 6 (NES)Some would say Mega Man 2 is the best Mega Man. I would say that I didn't have that one, and 6 is pretty kick ass. Mega Man 6 stays true to the tried and tested Mega Man formula of awesome fun time goodness. It's hard as hell and frustrating to no end, but that just made it all the more endearing. You really feel like you've accomplished something when you beat a stage in Mega Man. Not many games give that feeling of accomplishment anymore. Not too many games torture you with disappearing block segments either. You have to take the good with the bad. Also keep a extra controller just in case you accidentally break the first one on the wall/floor/or just in your hands. It's said to happen spontaneously during disappearing block segments... hmmm...- Nick

3. Banjo Kazooie (N64)Sure, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts is looking great, but it's gonna take a lot for it to compete with the original. So much was right about Banjo Kazooie. The levels. The teamwork. The mini games. The powers. The extra. There was something about Banjo Kazooie that just felt right. I think the thing that really made the game so good was how Banjo and Kazooie worked together so well. When Banjo jump in the water, Kazooie would use her wings to fly. When you wanted to run, or make it up steep hills, Banjo would lye on Kazooie's back, and she would begin to run. When falling from a high place, instead of simply landing on the ground and losing hp, Kazooie could spread her wings beforehand, for a nice soft landing. The most basic things involved teamwork. Thus, placing Banjo Kazooie, at number three on our list.- Wade

2. Super Mario Bros 3 (NES)Mario has always been the poster boy of platformers. The reason behind this, some would say, is because of Super Mario Bros, the original game that really brought Mario into the spotlight. But I would have to disagree. I would say that the one reason Mario has become as iconic as he is today, as widely known, is because of Super Mario Bros 3. The controls are amazingly tight, the gameplay is extremely varied for never leaving the platforming genre, the different types of stages always bring a challenge, the co-op type gameplay is as addicting as any drug, and the power-ups are unforgettable. This is Nintendo in full force, back before they hated you. Yes, this is where your summer days went as a child, while the rest of the kids where out making friends, you killed goombas, and you don't regret it one bit, do you?- Nick

1. Yoshi's Island (SNES)It took us a lot of thought on whether Super Mario Bros 3 or Yoshi's Island deserved to have to the top spot on our list. We finally decided on Yoshi's Island. There are many things that make Yoshi's Island such a good game. One of which is Baby Mario. The addition of Baby Mario made Yoshi's Island different from the traditional platformer. Once you get hit, it's not just game over, you proceed to chase down Mario before the timer runs out. This made the game funner, and more challenging, at the same time. Another thing that made it different than a traditional platformer, is that it involved a bit of strategy. Sometimes, Yoshi simple has to shoot an egg at a button. Other times, he has to shoot it off a wall, just right, or else you miss what you were aiming for. This is another feature that made the game more enjoyable over Super Mario Bros. These are only a few reasons that helped Yoshi's Island triumph in the number one spot.- Wade